Math
by PimpedOutGreenEars
Summary: "I take risks, sometimes patients die. But not taking risks causes more patients to die, so I guess my biggest problem is I've been cursed with the ability to do the math." -Gregory House. House and Chase discuss the math of the Dibala Case. Oneshot.


**Math**

**Authors Note: I've been slowly working on this for awhile, but I figured I should get it out before the new episode tonight. Anyway, let me know what you think!**

* * *

"I take risks, sometimes patients die. But not taking risks causes more patients to die, so I guess my biggest problem is I've been cursed with the ability to do the math."

-Gregory House

* * *

The day she called me I was a wreck. It was a Tuesday.

I came home from work at the hospital; I had been there all day running tests on our patient. House hadn't been interested in screwing with any of my co-workers that day; maybe he was busy tormenting Wilson, it's hard to tell with him.

But of course, since he didn't want to mess with any of us that left me to do the boring work. It seems like he always chooses me for boring work.

But back to the phone call.

Cameron called me.

"_Robert… It's me." _

"_Allison?" _

"… _It's Tuesday." She said in a voice so quiet I could barely hear her._

"_Why are you calling?" It may have sounded like a rude thing to say, but when someone leaves you and breaks your heart you aren't exactly thrilled to hear from them._

"_I've missed you Robert. I really have."_

"_I've missed you too."_

"_I want you to come home."_

"…_You know I can't. I work for House."_

"_Robert, please! He's changed you, can't you see that?! If- If you could just see that we could work things out! We could be together!"_

"_He didn't change me… You just didn't know me. I guess neither of us did." _With that I hung up the phone and cried.

* * *

Chase was sitting in the diagnosis room with his coworkers; it was Tuesday, a day Chase had started to dread.

He supposed he had been the one to declare Tuesday their day, but still.

The rest of the team, and more importantly House, didn't know that Cameron and Chase were still speaking… Well, sort of.

Cameron had called Chase every Tuesday after her initial phone call. After awhile Chase had stopped answering the phone, not wanting to fight the same battle over and over, and Cameron had taken to texting him every Tuesday.

He knew he should change his number, or at the least start deleting the texts as soon as he received them, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to delete the texts or calls.

He kept all of them on his phone. Every one. Some days he would completely forget they were there. Other days he felt so alone without her that he read them over for hours.

Sometimes he truly thought about telling her that she was right. He thought about going to live with her. He imagined quitting his job and telling House that it was his fault his marriage was in shambles… But then Chase would stop lying to himself.

He didn't think she was right. He would never leave the place that had become his home. He would never quit the job he loved, and he would never blame his boss for something that wasn't his fault.

Speaking of his boss, House finally decided to join them.

"Nice of you to show up." Foreman said sliding the file over to House.

"Sorry, family emergency, Wilson was stuck in a well and I couldn't find Lassie."

"Female 38, bloody urine, seizures, and rashes on her arms." Thirteen said in a formal tone.

"Do the rashes really count as a symptom?" Taub asked.

"We definitely shouldn't just count them out."

Chase was about to join in on the discussion when he felt his cell-phone vibrate in his pocket. Cameron was early. Chase stood up ready to leave the room.

"Sit down Wombat, we don't have time for potty breaks."

"I've gotta take this." Chase said holding up his cell-phone.

He didn't wait for House to respond as he walked out the door. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned the call around House: he was too nosy for his own good, but he couldn't stop himself.

He rushed to the bathroom where he quickly went inside a stall and locked it. He sat down on the toilet before taking his phone and reading the text Cameron sent him.

'_It's Tuesday. Wish you would return my calls. I still love you Chase.'_

_-Cameron_

Chase sighed. A big part of him wanted to call her, but he knew how that went. He was running around in circles with himself; knowing each time that he wouldn't pick Cameron over what he already had.

He closed his phone putting it back in his lab coat pocket before leaving the stall, half surprised House wasn't there to stalk him until he figured out the inner workings of Chase's brain.

Chase walked quietly back to the diagnostics room and slipped back into the room only to find everyone but House was already gone.

"Aww, doctor Chase, so glad you could join us- well me. You missed everyone else leaving to do their jobs."

"Sorry. I had to finalize some things." Chase said in a way that he hoped told House to back off.

"Oh, of course." House said shrugging as he made his way to the door. "And by the way, guess which Aussie gets to do all the blood work? …Oh, I guess saying Aussie gave it away." The door shut leaving Chase alone.

Chase groaned. He was so sick of blood work.

* * *

Chase had been in the lab for hours running stupid test after stupid test. It seemed as though House was really ticked at him for walking out this morning, though Chase didn't see why.

All of a sudden the door opened and Wilson walked in with a nervous smile on his face.

"I heard House has you held captive?"

"You could say that."

"Come on; I'll buy you lunch." Wilson said pointing out the door of the lab.

"What? I can't just not run the tests."

"Yes you can; House has been having you test for things that your patient couldn't possibly have. He's messing with you."

"Ass…" Chase mumbled.

"So, lunch?" Wilson asked.

"Yeah, why not." Chase said following Wilson out the door, his lab coat left hanging on his chair.

They walked in relative silence as they made their way to the cafeteria. They made it half way though the line before Chase stopped.

"What?" Wilson asked nervously.

"Why would you care if House was torturing me?"

"I just know he can be unfair sometimes-"

"Damnit." Chase cursed as he remembered the phone he left in the lab.

He stormed off in the direction of the lab.

"Sorry Chase!" Wilson shouted after him, but at the moment Chase really didn't care.

When he entered the lab sure enough House was just closing his phone.

"You ass, you complete ass."

"It doesn't seem like much is getting finalized." House pointed out, slipping the phone back into the lab coat pocket.

"You had no right to look at those!"

"She has no right to send you those." House said calmly.

Chase glared as he waited for House to continue.

"She sends you messages to guilt you and you're so stupid that you're letting her." Chase looked down at his feet. "Let me break it down for you Chase- If Dibala had been cured thousands of people would have been killed. But that didn't happen, Dibala died and only one person was killed."

Chase looked up hoping House was saying what he thought he was.

"You did the math… You did the right thing." House said as though it was simple.

Chase's eyes started to well. Every since he had killed Dibala all he had wanted was for someone, anyone, to tell him he did the right thing. Chase walked over to House and despite the disgusted look on the older mans face he hugged him.

"Thank you." He choked out.

"Ugh! Don't get all sentimental on me; I'm not your daddy." House said backing away. And although his comment was meant to be hurtful Chase couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.

* * *

That night Chase sat on his bed and stared at the inbox on his phone. He pressed the delete all messages button.

**Delete all messages?**

** Yes No**

Chase took a deep breathe.

** Yes**

** Messages Erased**

Chase smiled. Perhaps it was time for Cameron to do the math: 47 unreturned phone calls plus 213 unanswered texts equals the end of their relationship.


End file.
